"Cinderella Rockefella" is a
novelty song
A novelty song is a type of song built upon some form of novel concept, such as a gimmick, a piece of humor, or a sample of popular culture. Novelty songs partially overlap with comedy songs, which are more explicitly based on humor, and wit ...
written by
Mason Williams
Mason Douglas Williams (born August 24, 1938) is an American classical guitarist, composer, singer, writer, comedian, and poet, best known for his 1968 instrumental "Classical Gas" and for his work as a comedy writer on ''The Smothers Brothers ...
and
Nancy Ames
Nancy Ames (born Nancy Hamilton Alfaro on September 30, 1937) is an American folk singer and songwriter. She regularly appeared on the American version of the television series ''That Was the Week That Was''. The TW3 Girl, as she was known, s ...
. It was originally recorded and released by
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i
folk
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*Nation
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Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
duo
Esther & Abi Ofarim
Esther & Abi Ofarim were an Israeli musical duo active during the 1960s, consisting of husband and wife Abi Ofarim and Esther Ofarim. They enjoyed particular success in Germany. They had hits in Europe with their songs "One More Dance," "Morning ...
on their 1967 album ''
2 in 3''. It became an international hit single in 1968.
Original version
Esther Ofarim
Esther Zaied, better known by her married name Esther Ofarim ( he, אסתר עופרים; born June 13, 1941), is an Israeli singer. She came second in the 1963 Eurovision Song Contest with the song " T'en va pas", representing Switzerland. Aft ...
and the
Smothers Brothers
The Smothers Brothers are Thomas ("Tom" – born February 2, 1937) and Richard ("Dick" – born November 20, 1938), American folk singers, musicians, and comedians. The brothers' trademark double act was performing folk songs (Tommy on acoustic gu ...
first performed "Cinderella Rockefella" on the
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
variety program ''
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
''The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour'' was an American comedy and variety show television series hosted by the Smothers Brothers and initially airing on CBS from 1967 to 1969.
The series was a major success, especially considering it was sc ...
'' in April 1967. Mason Williams, who co-wrote the song, was a writer for the series. Ofarim recorded the song with her husband
Abi Ofarim that year. The words of the song imitate
yodelling, with a somewhat 1920s-style arrangement structured like a twelve-bar blues.
The single was released on
Philips Records
Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in ...
in February 1968 in the UK.
Esther & Abi Ofarim
Esther & Abi Ofarim were an Israeli musical duo active during the 1960s, consisting of husband and wife Abi Ofarim and Esther Ofarim. They enjoyed particular success in Germany. They had hits in Europe with their songs "One More Dance," "Morning ...
made an appearance on ''The
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...
Show'' on
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
to promote it in the UK.
The single peaked at No. 1 in the
British singles chart on 5 March 1968, where it remained for three weeks.
It was also
No. 1 on the ''NME'' chart for four weeks. As of 2020, Esther & Abi Ofarim remain the only act from Israel to achieve a UK No. 1 single.
The record was an international hit, reaching the top 10 in various countries. It was less successful in the U.S., peaking at No. 68 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in May 1968.
The song appeared on the albums ''2 in 3'' (1967) in Europe and ''Cinderella Rockefella'' (1968) in the US.
According to
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Alan Crawford initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopoly ...
DJ
Andy Archer, the song was the last to be played on Radio Caroline South on the night of 2–3 March 1968, before its radio ship (like that of its sister station Radio Caroline North) was towed into harbour over unpaid debts on the morning of 3 March.
Williams recorded his own version of the song for his 1968 album ''The Mason Williams Ear Show'' on Warner Brothers-Seven Arts Records. For his rendition the duet vocal was performed by one of his ''Smothers Brothers'' collaborators,
Jennifer Warren.
Critical reception
''Cash Box'' (9 March 1968): "Out of the left field arena of novelty songs comes this wierd
'sic''rollick complete with mock yodel and tuba-banjo backdrop. Crazy romp that shows the duo in rare form, very rare for these 'straight' talents. Could very easily repeat the track’s monster Enlish
'sic''breakout on this side of the Atlantic. Exceptional long shot."
''Record World'' (9 March 1968): "Hilarious parody duet that is camp enough to connect with the populace. Pair are terrific."
Chart performance
Cover versions
*In 1968, Australian husband-and-wife duo Anne & Johnny Hawker reached No. 12 with their rendition on Australia's ''Go-Set'' National Top 40 chart.
*In 1968, Italian band
Quartetto Cetra
Quartetto Cetra (; ) was an Italian jazz vocal quartet established during the early 1940s and active until 1988.
Career
The band was based on the Mills Brothers and started performing under the name Quartetto Egie from the initials of the singers ...
created an Italian cover for a 45RPM.
*In 1968, Spanish pop vocal group,
Los Quando's, released a
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
version titled "Mi Cenicienta" in an EP single, with lyrics by Julio Guiu Sr.
*During the early 1970s,
The Carpenters
The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct, soft, musical style, combining Karen's contr ...
performed the song as part of their live shows, including a 1972 show in Australia.
*In the 2004 Israeli film ''
Walk on Water'',
Knut Berger
Knut Berger is a German actor. He was born in 1975 in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He played Axel Himmelman in the 2004 Israeli film '' Walk on Water''.
Films
* ''Deutschland 86
''Deutschland 86'' () is a 2018 German telev ...
and
Caroline Peters perform a karaoke version of the song, sung by
Rita
Rita may refer to:
People
* Rita (given name)
* Rita (Indian singer) (born 1984)
* Rita (Israeli singer) (born 1962)
* Rita (Japanese singer)
* Eliza Humphreys (1850–1938), wrote under the pseudonym Rita
Places
* Djarrit, also known as Rita, ...
and
Ivri Lider
Ivri Lider ( he, עברי לידר) is an Israeli pop star and part of the duo TYP, also known as The Young Professionals. He served as a judge on the first season of '' The X Factor Israel''.
Music career
In October 2005 Lider received ...
.
References
External links
*
Mark Steyn
Mark Steyn (; born December 8, 1959) is a Canadian author and a radio and television presenter. He has written several books, including ''The New York Times'' bestsellers '' America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It'', ''After America: G ...
, Cinderella Rockefella: Song of the Week
Where did they get that song?
{{authority control
Esther & Abi Ofarim songs
1967 songs
1968 singles
Pinky and Perky songs
Comedy songs
UK Singles Chart number-one singles
Songs written by Mason Williams
Philips Records singles
Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
Male–female vocal duets
Satirical songs